Prometheus removes CO2 from the air and turns it into zero net carbon fuels that compete with fossil fuels on price.
Research Engineer, Electrochemistry Prometheus Fuels Santa Cruz, CA U.S.A.
Prometheus was founded to replace fossil fuels with zero net carbon electrofuels (e-fuels) - by beating fossil fuels on price. We believe by doing so we can solve the climate crisis and ignite a new era for human ambition, adventure, and achievement. Prometheus is the first e-fuels unicorn, reaching a $1.6 B valuation 2.5 years after YC launch.
Research Engineer-Electrochemist The Titan Fuel Forge is Prometheus’ revolutionary fuel-production system. It works on the concept of reverse combustion, capturing CO2 and water from the air and powering them with electricity from renewable energy to make zero net carbon fuels, leveraging advanced catalysis and separations. As a senior research team member, you will be focused on developing and implementing the next generation of Titan Fuel Forge systems. Your work will include electrodes and/or MEA development, catalyst performance evaluation, and contribute to the next-generation CO2 electrolyzer. You will work with a team of researchers, and will collaborate with engineering and analytical teams to iteratively scale up and optimize the Titan Fuel Forges for commercial production next year.
Responsibilities ● Contributes to developing electrodes, MEA, and testing cells and stacks and testing instruments for the next generation of CO2 electrolyzer development. ● Hands-on research position working alongside teams to ensure goals are iteratively defined and met to drive towards commercial role out of our CO2 to fuels systems ● Employ excellent communication skills across teams and the company ● Willing to work across a broad range of activities to support team goals – growth-stage startups require a wide range of skills ● Contribute to a positive culture of collaborative experimentation and innovation
Requirements ● Advanced degree with relevant Research and Development experiences (1) Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering or other relevant STEM degree with 5+ years of work experience (2) Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering other relevant STEM degree with 2+ years of work experience in relevant research fields in electrodes and/or MEA development of PEM Fuel Cells, AEM Fuel Cells, Electrolyzers, or other relevant electrocatalysis. ● Demonstrated independent research capabilities for designing experiments, identifying issues, performing data analysis, problem-solving, and preparing technical reports, summaries, procedures, and protocols. ● Demonstrated experience in electrochemical analysis including EIS, kinetic analysis, and Electrodes or MEA fabrication. ● Adept at prioritizing tasks and executing multiple assignments concurrently in a rapidly changing environment that requires mental flexibility, creativity, discipline, and resilience ● Familiarity with catalyst synthesis, wet-chemistry, analytical chemistry, CO2 electrolysis is a definite advantage
Location of position is our 20,000 square foot prototyping and manufacturing facility in Santa Cruz, CA, less than one mile from the beach, in a walkable neighborhood with coffee shops, natural groceries, yoga studios, etc. – you don’t have to surf, hike, camp, or like perfect weather, but our location is a plus if you do. Must be on-site, but work from home for appropriate tasks is available.
Full medical, dental, and vision benefits with no employee contribution required.
We make zero net carbon electrofuels using a reverse combustion process. We capture CO2 and water from the air using alkaline water adsorption in a "cooling tower"-like packed tower with air blown by fans; combine the CO2 and water with electricity from solar and wind into long chain alcohols using aqueous phase room temperature electrochemistry employing a catalyst licensed from Oak Ridge National Labs; and extract and assemble the alcohols by means of a carbon nanotube membrane and second catalyst step into drop in replacement hydrocarbon electrofuels that compete with fossil fuels on price. More details on our tech can be found on our website, articles in Science and Joule, and on Hacker News discussions (including HN Launch) where the founder has answered questions about our tech.
The interview process has three stages: Initial interview with hiring manager (Sr. Director of Engineering, Electrochemistry), follow up with Founder, on site interview.
Initial video call interview: We'll schedule a 45 minute call with our Sr. Director of Engineering. She will ask you about your relevant experience, skills, goals, and interests. You will be asked to describe your research and work experience, as well as to describe some of the problems you have solved, insights gained, and strategies for future research and problem solving.
Second video call interview: We'll schedule a 45 minute call with our Founder. He will ask you about your relevant experience, skills, goals, and interests. You will be asked to describe your research and work experience, as well as to describe some of the problems you have solved, insights gained, and strategies for future research and problem solving.
On-site interview: We'll pay to bring you out to our HQ and prototyping facility in Santa Cruz, CA. There we will review some of the previous information we discussed on our phone calls, as well as giving you a tour of the facility and introducing you to other members of the team. We will ask you to demonstrated laboratory, research, and engineering skills while on site. You will be asked to sign a visitor's NDA before your visit.
Offer: If all interviews went well and we have a mutual interest in having you join us, we will contact you with an offer, typically within two weeks of the on-site interview.
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